Trout Bumminhttps://troutbumm.in
somewhere on a river - in person or in our mindsFri, 26 Jul 2019 18:29:58 +0000en-US
hourly
1 https://s0.wp.com/i/webclip.pngTrout Bumminhttps://troutbumm.in
323267017742Gone Til Novemberhttps://troutbumm.in/2019/07/26/gone-til-november/
https://troutbumm.in/2019/07/26/gone-til-november/#commentsFri, 26 Jul 2019 18:29:58 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=3646In the fall of 1995, when I enrolled at the University of Washington, I was issued a “telnet account” which empowered me to use UW developed Pine to check my email account. This was my first brush with the Internet, and at pecking obscure commands into a black terminal window, and having information come streaming back to me.

I clearly remember when I was first able to send and receive attachments via Pine too. That was amazing. Later in my university career, I wrote some rudimentary webpages for professors – one would allow you to calculate interest arbitrage. It was janky, but I earned credits for it. And thus my long journey with the Internet and programming began.

Nearly 25 years later, I’m still here. I don’t use Pine anymore, and instead of pecking away at the keyboard for college credits, I do it with a group of amazing people from around the world, working on projects that help millions around the world everyday.

Between here and there, the ‘net has been a constant presence in my life. Even when volunteering as a ranger in Yosemite National Park in 1999, I sought out and used dial-up connections from a variety of parts of the park. Always checking that email, getting my fix. It has been the backbone of an amazing career path that has taken me from Microsoft, to ski resorts, to startups, and finally to where I am today. The open web has been great to me, and I’m a staunch believer in the positive things it can and has brought to our world.

But after today, I’m ready to log off for a bit. Pull off at a scenic viewpoint on the Information Superhighway… or perhaps find an outlet of the tubes, and remove myself from the plumbing for a bit. I’ll be offline mostly, Gone Till November – well October 30th to be exact, but there is no song with that date in the title.

Sabbatical

You see my current employer offers a fantastic benefit of a three month sabbatical after five years of employment. My fifth anniversary was on May 15, and today marks my final day before starting my sabbatical. I’ve been counting down to this day for a few months now, and have been dreaming of what to do with my time off.

The main goal for me is to unplug from the web as much as possible. 25 years is a long time, and I’m ready to focus on IRL more. Replace Slack texts and messaging apps with writing random notes via snailmail. Maybe use my phone to make phone calls. Hang out with friends in person, not on social media. You know, live analog.

Precepts

“Unplugging” felt a bit too vague though, so I decided to set out some rules – some precepts to guide me along over the next 90 days.

Present

in a particular place. existing or occurring now.

I like to call this one “live like my dog” – which is totally an over simplification of being present, but my buddy Sampson the bearded dog is such a shining example of this. He is stoked for the now, what is happening at that moment.

I want to not stare at screens ( large or small ) – this prevents me from being in the now, from being in a place fully. Be present for my family, for my friends, for my dogs. I realize it might be quite difficult to fully not use a phone to do things like pay my bills, or navigate a new town, but my new phone has no fluff. No ‘gram, no games. Just the barebones things to get by, snap some pics. It is a tool. It is not a lens in which I will view life the next 90 days.

Instead of screens I want to read more books. Look at my kids. Look at the world.

Oddly enough, I started implementing this change over the past month. I uninstalled Slack on my phone, and stopped using Instagram daily – and have been amazed with the positive impact that has already made. Also I think this is a fine precept to apply when I do arrive back at work…. avoid the trap of multi-tasking. Close programs when in meetings. Be present with those in meetings, or be present with the task at hand.

Simplify

make (something) simpler or easier to do or understand.

Over the same 25 year span, life has gotten cluttered. Physically and mentally, but most definitely just stuff everywhere. Being a good American, I consume too much. This has resulted in so much stuff in drawers, closets, and in my mind. I plan on cleansing these places over the next few months. Let go of the things that I don’t need, and be happier with what I already have.

I took a step in this direction a few weekends back by doing a deep clean and changing the layout of my home office. The reduction of clutter and furniture in the space had an immediate impact on how I feel when I walk into the space everyday. I’m eager to replicate that feeling across other spaces in my physical and mental life.

Likewise I want to consume less, and be more mindful when I do consume physical goods. Reducing my, and my families consumption, while small, will result in a tiny change to the ever-growing carbon footprint of humans.

Again this is another precept that works wonderfully in my work-life too. As engineers we often are quick to abstract a solution prematurely, or develop solutions for “edge cases” when not needed. This creates clutter in our code, and just like entering a messy office, when revisiting that code later, it just doesn’t feel right.

Outside

situated or moving beyond the boundaries or confines of.

My final precept is Outside. Obviously I’m a lover of all things outdoors as you can see on this very blog – so yes this literally means get outside as much as possible. I want to sleep under the stars, visit new alpine lakes, put my feet in new streams, and wander down countless miles of trails.

I yearn to reconnect with places outside from my past, and share them with my family. I want to visit these places, and leave them better than I found them.

But outside for me is also a challenge to step out of my comfort zone. Challenge myself to try new things, explore side trails, linger longer and be present in those spaces. The past year for me at work has included a number of moments where I have had to step outside of the known areas, some of these times have been challenging… but all of them have led to growth.

Indeed I have some metrics around outside things. I have some goals and personal challenges in this space and the other precepts. Maybe I’ll share more about them in a few months

AFK

So that is the scoop my friends! That is the plan. I’m thrilled to start on the adventure – the first stop is hoping on a plane with my family and heading to Alaska tomorrow. I can’t wait to be there with them in a town I was last in 20 years ago, with the simplest of things packed, and explore the outdoors together.

TTFN

A nice sunrise photo seems a fitting way to start things after here.
]]>https://troutbumm.in/2019/07/26/gone-til-november/feed/23646The Poolhttps://troutbumm.in/2019/06/14/the-pool/
Fri, 14 Jun 2019 20:14:53 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=2733Next pool Alejandro would say when it was time to move up river to the next likely holding spot of a wild zebra troot. And so went the hours spent among the grandeur that is the Spanish Pyrenees mountains… slowly walking upstream to the next pool, casting dry flies to wild fish.

My recent trip to Spain was a magical experience… one that I don’t think I will ever forget, but I wanted to write a more in-depth post to capture all of that magic. And perhaps if someone out there happens upon this post – they might be inspired to make their own trip to the next pool.

Tourista en Gran Via, Madrid.

The path to The Pool was quite a journey… and one that happened because I work at a fantastic company that allows me to travel around the world to meetup with colleagues a few times per year. Sometimes we travel to places were fishing in alpine streams isn’t an option ( oh hey Orlando Florida! ), but this trip’s destination was Madrid Spain.

I had never been to Spain before – outside of work trips, I have not traveled around Europe at all. So like any proper angler, once the destination was announced, I set to Google to see if there was any opportunities to pescar en Madrid. My initial searches didn’t yield much information about urban angling in the city, but I did stumble upon an outfitter in the mountains to the North that looked simply divine: Pyrenees Fly Fishing.

Fly Fishing in Spain is like a dream: we are in Spain on the sunny side of the Pyrenees. Surrounded by the best rivers, lakes and streams for fly fishing in Spain. These rivers and mountains constitute one of the most well protected natural paradises in the country.

Pyrenees Fly Fishing

Dreamy.

With a piqued interest in this dream – I began emailing with head guide and co-owner Ricardo to learn more about the fishing opportunities. As it turns out the time when I would be in Spain was when they start operations out of small town called Biescas and fish in high alpine streams for wild trout. Pyrenees Fly Fishing also manages the entire booking experience for guests – from transportation, to lodging, and of course the guided trips.

I had never booked an “all inclusive” trip like this before, so I was a bit nervous, and of course had dozens of questions. Ricardo was fantastic throughout the process and answered all of my queries in a timely manner. After getting approval from the crew at home, I was stoked to tell Ricardo that it was time to book it.

Biescas

Getting to Biescas starts with a train ride from either Barcelona or Madrid to Zaragoza. The first leg of the journey for me involved yours truly missing his first ever European train ride. Fortunately my minimal Spanish and a very friendly agent from Renfre was able to book me on the next train which was only one hour later.

Ricardo met me at the train station, and we were on our way to Biescas which is about 90 minutes to the north of Zaragoza. It was great to learn more about Ricardo and his operation, and hear about the fishing plans for the next few days. Ricardo also has experience as a climbing guide in the Pyrenees, so was able to give me a great tour on the way to our destination of all the major peaks.

First view of the Pyrenees

Biescas is a quaint little tourist town at the foot of the Pyrenees. My arrival in early June was still considered the “shoulder season” for the area. Gone were the crowds of winter sports fans, and the major rush of summer visitors had yet to arrive.

There were still a good number of tourists sitting outside the numerous bars enjoying tapas and drinks when I arrived, but many of the small buildings had their window covers up – the town was most definitely taking a siesta before summer.

After giving me a few tips on restaurants, and helping me get settled into my very nice apartment, Ricardo let me know that my guide Alejandro would be there to pick me up at 9am the next morning. Sleep did not come easy that night, I was just too excited to head up into the mountains and experience the dream.

Day One.

Alejandro was outside of the apartment waiting for me, well before 9am – it seems someone else was just as excited to get up to the river too. This was Alejandro’s first guide trip of the “high mountain” season, and being a true lover of all things outdoors, he was ready to get on the water too.

Before hoping into the car to head to the river, Alejandro offered me a variety of refreshments – and I had just enjoyed a cafe con leche and a croissant so I didn’t need anything, but really appreciated that touch.

A chair to sit in and put on waders and boots?! Feelin fancy.

After a lovely drive through a number of quaint villages, and up a river canyon, Alejandro fetched a key to let us drive up to an amazing alpine meadow. He set out a chair for me with my boots and waders, and got to setting up the tackle for the day. The grin on my face at this point was massive. I couldn’t believe I was actually in the Pyrenees mountains, and was about to go fishing.

After putting my waders on, I wandered over to the bridge we had just crossed and checked out the crystal clear alpine stream we were going to fish. Immediately I was able to see some nice large trout swimming around. The stoke level reached a new high.

We walked downstream from the car a little ways, and made our way to the first pool of the day. A 4# rod with a furled leader was equipped with a mayfly dry, and a perdigon dropper, and Alejandro encouraged me to walk slowly, and approach each pool with a bit of stealth. While the fishing was not on fire that morning, it didn’t take long for my first zebra trout to come to hand.

It was quite obvious to me that my dry-fly casting was a bit rusty. I primarily nymph and streamer fish so delicate targeted presentations on a small clear stream took some re-adjusting to get used to. But eventually I tidied up my casting scene, and we worked our way up the stream until lunch.

The fishing was great, but really the location and views is what really took me to another place. I read somewhere once about the stages a fly angler progresses through. I believe there was 3 or 4 distinct phases that went something like:

Actually catch a fish using a fly. Which is mind blowing when it first happens. It just seems unreal that a fish would eat a hook covered in feathers!?

Catching LOTS of fish. Wanting to get out on the water as much as possible, and quantity, quantity, quantity! I distinctly recall this being a measure of success for me.

Catching BIG fish. Around home for us that is chasing steelhead, or heading to the coast for salmon. I still enjoy the thrill of catching large fish, but it isn’t something that pulls at me nearly as much as it once did.

Soul Fishing. Or Zen. But to me, this is about the place, the full experience. It is a zone. It is a plane above normal reality. It is hard to explain, but when you feel it, you will know it.

High in the Pyrenees that first day, it was quite obvious the place was a soul fishingshangri la for me. Indeed there were fish, at times many fish being caught, but the whole experience in those moments is what I will never forget. My soul was shining.

I was half way around the world from home, my guide and I didn’t speak a ton of a common verbal language, but we both were obviously passionate about the soul of fishing in a wonderful place. Pure bliss.

As if the experience had not been amazing enough yet, I was in for yet another treat when Alejandro prepared our lunch. Each morning the guides at Pyrenees Fly Fishing stop by one of the best restaurants in Biescas to pickup a gourmet 3-course authentic Spanish meal for lunch. Alex had me finish fishing a few more pools as he got things setup for the meal, and it was divine.

The first course was a mushroom rice dish, followed by a super tasty fish in a tomato and pepper sauce. Wine, beer, coke, water – drink options were abundant, and dessert – oh my. A slice of chocolate cake bliss with fresh cinnamon whip cream. I had been in Spain for 7 days at that point, and this was the best meal I’d had yet.

After lunch we headed to another nearby valley to fish a different river. This stream had some larger pools, which contained bigger zebra trout, which were much more active in the warmer afternoon sun. A hatch of a large mayfly that reminded me of Callibaetis was coming off, and the fishing was on fire.

I asked Alejandro what time we were headed back to Biescas, to which he replied “We fish as long as you want Mr. Timmy.”! I lasted till about 6PM and we headed back to town. Alejandro bid me a buenas noches, and said we were going to go hiking the next day to fish… which I thought things couldn’t get better from the first day – but hiking and fishing is my jam.

Day Two

Dark skies filled the western sky as we drove away from Biescas on day two. Alejandro mentioned there might be a bit of rain that day, but the lightning bolts dancing around the clouds were a bit of a surprise to both of us. Much like here in Oregon, Alex said thunderstorms were rare so early in the day.

As we turned North into the mountains again, the storm loomed directly ahead, and right over our destination. Large rain drops began to pelt the car, as we turned off the road right before the border crossing with France. I was hopeful the storm would pass, and the river would be unaffected – regardless I was excited to just go experience the hike!

Fortunately as we finished our drive up to the trailhead, the skies began to clear, and blue dominated the sky to the West. It appeared the soul fishing gods had smiled upon us for the day.

The goal for the day was to hike alongside yet another crystal clear alpine stream in pursuit of Fontinalis – brook trout – that were abundant in the river. Alejandro informed me he had hooked a 50cm brookie there the summer before, so that information made me hike a bit more briskly into the alpine.

Yes please.

On the hike in, I bent down to pickup some trash on the trail. Alejandro patted me on the back and said “Thank You” for my small act. The shared passion for the outdoors and conservation was a strong bond between the two of us, and I found it quite awesome and reassuring that a kindred spirit on the other side of the world cared deeply for his amazing wild places.

Before we hiked down to the stream to begin fishing for the day, Alejandro pointed out some wildlife across the canyon from us. Being an avid hunter and gatherer, he was always showing me the animals and plants of the area – which I really enjoyed.

The stream for the day was deeper in a small canyon with towering peaks above. Many gentle runs, and deep splash pools at the base of waterfalls all provided great habitat for brookies. Before long we were getting into fish once again.

Found fontinalis!

While we were indeed catching fish, Alejandro mentioned that the fishing was a bit slower than normal for that water. Perhaps it was the storm that had bumped the stream up a bit, or that the water was still quite cool – either way the fish made us really earn it during the morning session. And at times we also had to earn access to certain pools with some fun scrambling.

The obvious ascent gully.

Once again a permanent grin was on my face this day. This was not only soul fishing again, it had a lovely adventure twist to it. A hike into elevation, narrowly missing an intense thunderstorm, and scrambling between waterfalls to fish water that sees very little angling pressure… It simply does not get better than that.

Due to the long hike in on this day, lunch was a bit more normal to what I’m used to on the river – sandwiches! The added bonus here was it meant our meal didn’t take as long to prepare, and we got back to fishing pretty quickly. The higher we ascended into the glacial valley, the better the fishing got.

Above 2,000 meters, a magical fishy cirque

We “topped out” for the day in an amazing cirque ringed by peaks near or over 3,000 meters high. Eager brook trout were rising to almost every cast, numerous fish were caught in each run. I asked Alejandro to snap some photos of me fishing in this spot, because I didn’t want to forget the feeling. On my first cast with him taking shots, I caught a fish. My soul was full, and I just sat back and soaked it in.

While I wish I could have camped in this magical spot and fished for days, but it was getting late and we still had about an hour hike back to the car. While walking back, I stopped to take a photo of the amazing view, and Alejandro took his phone out to “make a picture” too. I smiled knowing that he too was in awe of the beauty, and delighted with the day we had just spent high in the Pyrenees.

Last Day

When scheduling my holiday with Ricardo, I opted to squeeze in one final half day of fishing prior to being dropped off at the train station in Zaragoza. I second guessed this choice because I probably could have made it home in one day without spending a night in Madrid prior to my flight if I opted not to fish. But, as soon as we arrive at the final fishing destination, I knew that extra half day was a grand idea.

The river on the final day was nestled in the valley on the other side of the mountains we had been near the day before. But on this day, we were back to pursuing the more elusive zebra and brown trout, in some waters that do get fished a bit more frequently.

When we arrived at the first pool, Alejandro reminded me to be a bit more stealthy than the day before, and before long we were landing fish again. This river had some of the most amazing pools I had experienced on the trip, and I hooked into the largest fish of the trip too. Two of the bigger fish broke off, but I was able to land one amazing fish that was my largest for the trip.

Grande Zebra

As the hours flew by, we began to be more selective with the water we were targeting, and only were fishing the best pools. At that point again I was just amazed to be there, be in the moment, living the experience. Catching fish was just an added bonus.

Finally Alejandro said this would be our “last pool” because I had a train to catch after all. When we got back to the car, and while I was taking more photos, Alejandro was prepping my favorite meal I had while in Spain – pig cheek. Mind and taste buds blown, once again.

Another final delightful desert, and some coffee, and it was time to being my long journey back home. As if the full stomach and elated soul were not enough, Alejandro let me pick out six flies to take home with me. Not sure if this is a standard part of the program, or a thank you to me for not snapping off dozens of flies – either way it was such a nice touch and a great souvenir.

on! experience the chill.

The Road Home

Gracias para todos! I said for probably the 100th time to Alejandro when he dropped me off in Zaragoza. Regardless of the language barrier, I’m not certain if I could have told him how much the prior few days had meant to me. The experience, the culture, the places, the fishing – it was all sublime.

Within a few hours I was back on the crowded streets of Madrid among throngs of tourists. Towering mountains had been replaced by buildings, and the hum of crickets transformed into the madness of city sounds. I stood there and touched the fly that was stuck in the bill of my hat that had fooled many a brook trout the day before and smiled. Soul fishing is made that much more profound by the daily bustle of life, and in that moment I made a promise to myself to return again to the Pyrenees someday and fish with my new friends again… I know my soul needs it.

I wanted to thank my awesome wife Becky for encouraging me to do the trip. I was away from home almost 11 days during one of her more stressful times of the school year. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Also thank you to my employer, Automattic, for allowing me opportunities to experience cultures of the world through my amazing colleagues, and through trips like this.

]]>2733todayhttps://troutbumm.in/2019/04/19/today/
https://troutbumm.in/2019/04/19/today/#respondFri, 19 Apr 2019 16:19:21 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=2702Lately life has greeted me with many challenges. Between stress from big projects at work, to the seemingly never-ending events for our kids, it has been a challenge to find space and time to just be.

But amidst it all – I’ve tried to keep things in perspective, and remind myself that each day – today – is a gift and a new beginning. Even with the stress, and the part-time uber-driver for kid gig, there is still beauty all around.

I was fortunate enough though last weekend to escape the grind ( thanks Mom and Dad for watching the girls! ) and go take in the beauty with my favorite adventure-mate. We went old-school style. Didn’t haul a big fancy trailer along, just packed minimal gear and food, some sleeping bags, and headed to the Oregon Outback.

Of course some fishing gear was brought along – and I did wander along the banks of one of my favorite desert streams the first morning… nothing was caught. But I was fully able to just be in the moment – take it all in.

Perhaps one of my favorite things we did all weekend was make a campfire in the morning. Just chilling by the fire, with instant coffee, talking about random things… reminiscing about past trips that were also spent camping in the back of a pickup truck… re-connecting with each other and our past.

We did get some nice hiking in on empty trails – up gentle canyon ridge lines, and into deep volcanic cracks in the desert. We enjoyed some stiff drinks at a small town saloon, and drank beer right after breakfast.

While it would be grand to wander around and play like this every day – we of course had to return to the hectic real life this week. But I’ve made an effort to set aside some time to just be throughout this week, and I highly encourage you to do the same.

]]>https://troutbumm.in/2019/04/19/today/feed/02702At The Riverhttps://troutbumm.in/2019/04/02/at-the-river/
https://troutbumm.in/2019/04/02/at-the-river/#respondTue, 02 Apr 2019 19:02:31 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=2669Three months deep into a new year, and a quick self retro shows I have yet to post anything here. Life moves fast. Work, kids, gymnastics dad life, playing outside… it all blurs together. But sometimes you have to remember to just spend some time At The River, and just immerse oneself in the present.

And I was lucky enough to sneak away for an afternoon this past weekend, and just let the speed of life slow down, and take in the moments.

Always remember to keep looking up.

The snow had melted enough to allow access to a section of river I don’t fish often. I only encountered one other angler, and a few hikers. I also ran across a couple of locals.

Heyyyy buddy!

When you slow down and look around, it is easy to find magic nearly everywhere.

I believe this is a March Brown mayfly

Followed up this great day on the water, with an equally wonderful day with my girls up on the ski hill. My heart is full.

]]>https://troutbumm.in/2019/04/02/at-the-river/feed/02669🌅https://troutbumm.in/2018/06/08/%f0%9f%8c%85/
https://troutbumm.in/2018/06/08/%f0%9f%8c%85/#respondFri, 08 Jun 2018 18:52:55 +0000https://troutbumm.in/2018/06/08/%f0%9f%8c%85/
]]>https://troutbumm.in/2018/06/08/%f0%9f%8c%85/feed/02539Make Tiny Changes to Earthhttps://troutbumm.in/2018/05/30/make-tiny-changes-to-earth/
https://troutbumm.in/2018/05/30/make-tiny-changes-to-earth/#commentsWed, 30 May 2018 21:16:29 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=2505A few weeks back a favorite musician of mine lost the battle with depression, one of his songs really resonates with me:

And while I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to earth
Scott Hutchinson

While I never met Scott personally, his music has inspired me quite a bit ever since Becky and I happened upon him at the Capitol Hill Block Party in 2013. Perhaps some of the darkness of his lyrics reminds me of my own battle with depression.
For those that have been there, in the depths of it, know well that it is a dark place that has a way of blocking out any light. Hope seems foreign, Things that once brought me joy – that I no longer wanted to do – only seemed to deepen these feelings.
For me I was able to slowly let light back into that space through therapy, love from my family, and some help from medication. I’m thankful that I haven’t revisited the darkness since then. But it is very real, and it is quite likely that many people we all know and love could very well be in the darkness right now.
Perhaps that is why doing what Scott said, and trying to Make Tiny Changes to Earth is more important now than ever. We live in dark times. The news media does its best to ensure we are well aware of that. We also live in fast times that prevent us from slowing down and enjoying the beauty in the little things around us.
So I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while now. I just wanted to share some moments of beauty. Some Tiny Changes and things that have reminded me in 2018 just how beautiful life is. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and let them know often how much they mean to you.

Sometimes you need to just let go of the wheel and let someone else drive.

Even though they picked on you when you were little, your siblings know you best and love you.

Swing for the fences.

Surround yourself with friends that remind you constantly of the value of playing.

Indulge.

Reflect on life often. If you don’t like what you see. Make more Tiny Changes.

Get the f*!k outside. As much as possible.

Live in Color.

Smile more.

Dogs make everything better. My research proves it.

Buddies. Well they make everything better too.

If you find yourself in that darkness – remember you can get out – hope can find its way back in. There is always light, even in the darkest of times.
]]>https://troutbumm.in/2018/05/30/make-tiny-changes-to-earth/feed/22505Little Secretshttps://troutbumm.in/2017/11/17/little-secrets/
https://troutbumm.in/2017/11/17/little-secrets/#commentsFri, 17 Nov 2017 16:14:48 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=2397All anglers have their Little Secrets – those amazing holes where the big ‘uns are. In the age of the Internet, the biggest taboo is to leak the whereabouts of these close-guarded secret spots. The most sacred of spots, at least it seems in the Pacific Northwest, are the coveted steelhead runs.

There happens to be a river nearby, that for some reason is always mentioned in hush conversation… Instagram photos of the spot remain un-geotagged. The name of this river is almost like that of Voldemort when the wild steelhead are running – which is odd because nobody thinks twice about saying its’ name when talking about bass or rafting in the summer.

Tis the season, and I stumbled across this photo while perusing the Google Drive this morning, so figured it was high time for my next Old Old Fashioned post.

Here my friends is a steelhead treasure map of The River That Shall Not Be Named – which was published for everyone to see over 40 years ago. Just follow the X’s and thar will be steel gold in them waters. It is that easy right??

]]>https://troutbumm.in/2017/11/17/little-secrets/feed/32397🏠💧https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/23/%f0%9f%8f%a0%f0%9f%92%a7/
https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/23/%f0%9f%8f%a0%f0%9f%92%a7/#respondMon, 23 Oct 2017 22:06:21 +0000https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/23/%f0%9f%8f%a0%f0%9f%92%a7/
]]>https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/23/%f0%9f%8f%a0%f0%9f%92%a7/feed/02393The Buckethttps://troutbumm.in/2017/10/17/the-bucket/
https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/17/the-bucket/#commentsWed, 18 Oct 2017 00:26:02 +0000https://troutbumm.in/?p=2361This morning along Lava Island on the Deschutes River, the buckets were filled up with fish netted from the side channel that is slowly drying up due to the low winter flows. While scooping up tiny sculpin and trout to transplant back in the main-stem of the river is not a permanent fix to the problem – it still feels good knowing that so many care about the river.

The neatest part of the experience for me was seeing a group of kids from Summit High School who had skipped taken the day off to volunteer to help the Deschutes. I met one of these young men at the showing of Finding Fontinalis this past Summer at the Tower Theater – and he struck me then as someone who cared deeply for the fisheries around Bend, and it was so cool to see him out there netting fish today with his friends.

The fish salvage is going to continue on Thursday. If you are interested in helping out, please get a hold of me, or just show up at Lava Island around 9AM with your waders on.

]]>https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/17/the-bucket/feed/22361Strandedhttps://troutbumm.in/2017/10/16/stranded/
https://troutbumm.in/2017/10/16/stranded/#respondMon, 16 Oct 2017 23:20:04 +0000http://troutbumm.in/?p=2324Every October, those that control the faucet at the head of the Deschutes River at Wickiup Dam, turn things down to begin storing water for next years irrigation needs. The photo above shows the Upper Deschutes River about a half mile below the Wickup Dam – this photo can only be taken during the height of irigation release – in fact the low winter flows would prevent me from even floating this section in my drift boat. But graphs speak louder than words:

The green line above shows the recorded flows of the Deschutes below Wickiup dam for the “Water Year” of 2017. You can see that at the peak release, roughly around 1750cfs were being blasted down the Deschutes to fill water rights across the high desert of Central Oregon. Zooming in a bit on the current Water Year – this October – you can see the flows being reduced daily:

The final winter flow will end up being around 100CFS. Downstream from the dam a few tributaries add to this meager flow. Even with the help from the Little Deschutes, Fall, and Spring Rivers – this drastic reduction in flows results in a very bad situation for the health of the Deschutes.

The Coalition for the Deschutes – a local non-profit that I serve on the board for – is working with local stakeholders to try and get more water back in the river year-round, but this is a lengthy process. What the above charts mean, right now, is that fish will be stranded in a few days as side-channels created by the high irrigation levels are cut-off from the main stem of the river.

Each year thousands of fish are stranded, and many die off as the winter flows cut them off from the life blood of the main river. Stream banks are exposed. Habitat is destroyed. Fragile riparian habitat is dried up. It is a sad state.

But, each fall a group of volunteers comes together to help the stranded fish. An impromptu bucket-brigade is formed that gathers fish that have been electro-shocked from the side-channels, and walks them back to the main-stem of the river. Not all survive, but over the past few years thousands of fish have been saved:

If you are in Bend, and would like to participate, please reach out and get involved. Or better yet, if you love the Deschutes, please follow the efforts of the Coalition for the Deschutes, and help us work to find a permanent solution to this ongoing problem.